THE COLLECTION
RESOURCES
THE TETRARCHY
DIOCLETIAN
AD 284-305

                Antoninianus (3.98 g, 21mm, 12).
      Mint: Tripolis.
      Struck: AD 284.
      Obv: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG
                Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
      Rev: IOVI CONSERVATOR-I AVG
                Diocletian standing right, holding scepter, receiving Victory
                on globe from Jupiter standing left, holding scepter.
      Mm: TR//XXI.
      Ref: RIC 328.

Notes: The single 'G' in 'AVG' clearly places this issue at the beginning of Diocletian's reign, prior to his elevation of Maximinus as his joint augustus, after which time a second 'G' was added to the end of the legend. [See also an issue of Maximinus from Tripolis, below, also with 'AVG' rather than 'AVGG'.]

MAXIMIANUS
First reign, AD 286-305

                Antoninianus (3.71 g, 22mm, 12).
      Mint: Ticinum, 2nd officina.
      Struck: 2nd emission, March-April AD 285.
      Obv: IMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG
                Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
      Rev: HERCVLI CONSERVAT
                Hercules standing right, leaning on club, lion skin
                draped over arm.
      Mm: -/-//SXXIT.
      Ref: RIC 544; Venera 5948.

Notes: At the time of Diocletian's accession in AD 285, he realized, as Valerian and Carus before him, that the empire was too large for one to administer alone. He therefore elevated Maximinus to take charge of affairs in the West while Diocletian remained in the east. Maximianus was initially elevated only to the rank of Caesar, and although there is much historical evidence to this effect, there were no coins struck for him at this rank. In the spring of AD 286, while Maximianus was commanding forces along the Rhine frontier, he was elevated to the rank of Augustus, at which time coinage commenced for him. Both Lugdunum and Ticinum were the closest mints, and began striking for Maximianus at the same time. At Ticinum, the first coinage of Maximian, represented by this coin, was in the second emission in the reign of Diocletian. The reverse type and legend here invokes Hercules, the patron deity of Maximianus, to protect the new emperor.

                Antoninianus (4.54 g, 22mm, 12).
      Mint: Tripolis.
      Struck: AD 286.
      Obv: IMP C M AVR VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG
                Radiate and cuirassed bust right.
      Rev: IOVI CONSERVATOR-I AVG
                Maximianus standing right, holding scepter, receiving Victory
                on globe from Jupiter standing left, holding scepter.
      Mm: TR//XXI.
      Ref: Cf. RIC p. 295, n. 1.

Notes: Note I on p. 295 of RIC V pt. 2 notes two examples in Voetter's collection with 'AVG' rather than 'AVGG' on this issue for Maximinus. Voetter considers these to be hybrids of issues of Diocletian, but too few examples exist to confirm whether this is the case, or whether the singular 'AVG' was engraved in error on fresh dies for Maximianus at the beginning of his joint reign with Diocletian. Regardless, this issue was certainly the first for the joint emperors at Tripolis.

CONSTANTINE I 'the Great'
AD 307-337

                Æ Follis (5.96 g, 26mm, 1).
      Mint: Thessalonica, 4th officina.
      Struck: AD 308-310.
      Obv: CONSTANTINVS · FIL · AVGG
                Laureate head right.
      Rev: GENIO CA-ESARIS
                Genius standing facing, head left, holding patera
                and cornucopia.
      Mm: */Δ//·SM·TS·.
      Ref: RIC 32b; P. Bruun, “The Negotiations of the Conference
                of Carnuntum,” QT 8 (1979), pl. I, 13.


                Æ Follis (7.61 g, 23mm, 11).
      Mint: Alexandria.
      Struck: AD 309-310.
      Obv: FL VAL CONSTANTINVS FIL AVG
                Laureate head right.
      Rev: GENIO CA-ESARIS
                Genius standing facing, head left, holding patera
                and cornucopia.
      Mm: K-A/P//ALE.
      Ref: RIC 99b; P. Bruun, “The Negotiations of the Conference
                of Carnuntum,” QT 8 (1979), pl. I, 8.

Notes: This follis was struck while Constantine was recognized by Galerius with the novel title Filius Augustorum. Galerius had offered this title to Constantine and Maximinus II Daia after the conference of Carnuntum in November AD 308, but both rejected it. For Constantine, it was a demotion, as he had already claimed the title Augustus in AD 307, while Maximinus thought he deserved elevation to Augustus following the death of Severus II, and the new title was below that rank. Accordingly, none of the coins struck at the mints under Constantine and Maximinus, all western, featured this title; only the mints in the east under Galerius used it. Eventually, in AD 310, Galerius relented, and recognized both of them as holding the rank of Augustus. The first coin above was likely from the earliest of these issues, as Thessalonica was the headquarters of Galerius, who proclaimed the new rank for the two Filius Augusti.